A lofty green cathedral

In the Sunday Times in October there was a moving account, by Caitlin Moran, of the cutting down of a tree at the end of suburban garden. It was an inconvenience, shading a patio, a beautiful ash tree over a century old cut down and carted away. ‘In spring it was one of the last to bud; the day it was finally covered in a fine mist was usually the first properly warm day of the year. In summer its million leaves sounded like the sea – the constant shimmy like breathing above the houses. And in autumn – fire. Gold fire, visible from every window.’ The article, so beautifully written, captures the way a tree can take a place in our hearts in a way we don’t notice – until it has gone. Sad when the ash is under attack from other quarters, most alarmingly a disease caused by a fungus called Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, or ash dieback. We don’t know how bad the impact will be yet, though there are signs that some ash trees are showing tolerance or resistance to the disease. Before the particular tree you love gets cut down find out if it can be protected. Check out The Arboricultural Association website for more information on Tree Preservation Orders.